Bosch develops Active Gas Pedal

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Active Gas Pedal from Bosch saves fuel by up to 7-%

by Eric Tipan

February 03, 2016 07:47

Research indicates that the driver’s foot accounts for one-quarter of fuel consumption. So far, the only way to drive more economically is to be constantly conscious about how your right foot interacts with the throttle at all times.

This can be extremely tedious at times, when traffic is bad or when you'd prefer to put all your attention on the road ahead, instead of your foot behavior.

Luckily for us, Bosch has found the solution to make all motorists drive more fuel-efficiently, without having to implement tips and tricks used in eco-driving challenges.

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Called the Active Gas Pedal, this new technical aid alerts the driver via haptic feedback (knocking, vibration, and counterpressure) when a threshold is crossed, impractically increasing fuel consumption.

Connected to a navigation system, powertrain and other driver assistance systems, the Active Gas Pedal will be able to use a wealth of data in order to alert the driver about the traffic ahead, when to coast or when to switch to hybrid mode.

Using haptic feedback in varying kinds and strength, the Active Gas Pedal is extremely intuitive and through constant use will teach the driver to become more fuel-efficient reducing consumption by as much as 7-percent.

Networked to the transmission, drivers will learn when to properly shift gears as the Active Gas Pedal signals when the revolutions have hit the ‘power band’ where there’s minimal-to-no loss of power as it gets transferred from the engine to the wheels.

If the driver wishes to go faster before shifting the gear, a little extra pressure will be enough.

Using the Start-Stop Coasting feature, which Bosch estimates can be used in 30-percent of all trips, the Active Gas Pedal will send an alert when it finds a feasible area to coast.

Bosch also says that, when used in hybrid vehicles, the Active Gas Pedal can alert the driver when the internal combustion engine is about to kick-in so that they may lighten the pressure on the throttle.

In terms of safety, Bosch’s new pedal — when used in an Internet-connected vehicle — can alert drivers of traffic congestion ahead or when they’re approaching curves at higher than normal speeds. Haptic feedback will be sent alerting the driver to slow down to save fuel or negotiate the turn safely.

It is also designed to warn drivers when they’re about to enter one-way street from the wrong side or other hazards in their surrounding area.